Aviva A Possibility As Heineken Cup Semi-Final Venues Confirmed

EPCR have confirmed the possible venues for the Heineken Cup semi-finals with the Irish sides potentially facing a trip to the Aviva Stadium in the last four.

Home advantage for teams in the last eight will be based off their pool rankings, with Leinster ranked 2nd, Munster 5th and Ulster 6th.

The first of the two semi-finals will consist of the winner of Glasgow Warriors vs Saracens against the winner of Edinburgh vs Munster.

Johann Van Graan’s side will get home advantage if they defeat Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors cause an upset against the heavily fancied Saracens.

The English side will automatically receive home advantage should they win their quarter-final.

The second of the last four ties will see the winner of Leinster’s clash with Ulster taking on the winner of the all-French affair between Racing 92 and Toulouse.

Leinster will have the home advantage should they beat Ulster and Toulouse upset Racing 92, while Ulster will have the advantage should they and Toulouse win.

All Racing 92 need to do is win against Toulouse and they will automatically receive home advantage, however, their opponents will face an away semi-final should they win regardless given they are the seventh-ranked team in the left.

The EPCR released the following statement on their website in regards the semi-final venues;

“As a number of clubs now own or control premium venues which befit the status of a Heineken Champions Cup semi-final, EPCR will also consider the possibility of staging a semi-final at a home stadium of a qualified club.

“Regarding the current season, the suitability of BT Murrayfield as a venue should Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors be scheduled to meet in Semi-final 1 of the Heineken Champions Cup will be assessed, while the 32,000-capacity Paris La Défense Arena will be considered along with other stadiums in France should Racing 92 qualify for Semi-final 2 on the weekend of 20/21 April.

“This use of full discretion in selecting Heineken Champions Cup semi-final venues does not require any change to the governing rules and regulations of EPCR and, as in previous seasons, continues to recognise performances during the pool stage with the highest-ranked clubs earning home country advantage in their respective semi-final matches.”

If Saracens (ranked No 1) and Edinburgh Rugby (ranked No 4) win their quarter-finals, Saracens will have home country advantage.
If Saracens (ranked No 1) and Munster Rugby (ranked No 5) win their quarter-finals, Saracens will have home country advantage.
If Edinburgh Rugby (ranked No 4) and Glasgow Warriors (ranked No 8) win their quarter-finals, the semi-final will be played in Scotland.
If Munster Rugby (ranked No 5) and Glasgow Warriors (ranked No 8) win their quarter-finals, Munster will have home country advantage.

SEMI-FINAL 2

If Racing 92 (ranked No 2) and Leinster Rugby (ranked No 3) win their quarter-finals, Racing 92 will have home country advantage.
If Racing 92 (ranked No 2) and Ulster Rugby (ranked No 6) win their quarter-finals, Racing 92 will have home country advantage
If Leinster Rugby (ranked No 3) and Toulouse (ranked No 7) win their quarter-finals, Leinster will have home country advantage
If Ulster Rugby (ranked No 6) and Toulouse (ranked No 7) win their quarter-finals, Ulster will have home country advantage